Mumbai Pav Bhaji (Authentic, Street Style Recipe) - Instant Pot and Stovetop

Mumbai pav bhaji or Bombay Pav Bhaji is an extremely popular Indian street food. Made with mixed vegetables, onions, tomatoes and spices and served with buttered dinner rolls, it is out-of-this world delish and totally addictive! Instant pot and stovetop methods included.

Check out this collection of 30+ Indian vegetarian recipes, all made in the instant pot!

Hit by the urge to snack on something savory and spicy? Make pav bhaji!

Pav bhaji is a much loved snack sold on the streets of Mumbai, India. I still miss digging into platefuls of this hot, spicy curry prepared right by the roadside in a make-shift stall. I just have to close my eyes, and I can see the vendor frying the veggies and flipping the buns on a sizzling tawa (griddle). Therefore, it gladdens my heart no end that I can re-create the same taste and flavors in my kitchen in Canada!

It doesn't take a ton of effort or expertise to make this street style pav bhaji at home, especially when you make it in your pressure cooker or instant pot. I'll share both the pressure cooking and stovetop methods of making it.

Another recipe that has assorted vegetables is this mixed vegetable curry. It's a dry sabzi that tastes delicious with Indian breads like roti or chapati. Do check it out. 

Why this recipe works

• It is an easy, one-pot dish when made in your pressure cooker or instant pot.
• The oodles of butter in the recipe gives it an authentic street style flavor that is to die for.
• You can cut short the preparation by adding Everest pav bhaji masala instead of making the masala from scratch.
• It is customizable - you can have it with dinner rolls, sliced bread or naan.

Ingredients

• Vegetables - cauliflower, carrot, potatoes, peas, onion, tomatoes
• Butter
• Pav bhaji spice mix - homemade or store bought (Everest brand)
• Ginger garlic paste - homemade or store bought
• Lemon and cilantro leaves
• Dinner rolls

Pav bhaji masala recipe

A word before I share the recipe. You can easily cut short this step and buy some ready-made masala from any Indian store in your neighbourhood. Everest is a good brand that I use sometimes. Two tablespoons of this pre-made spice blend usually suffices.

However, when I'm not in a rush, I prefer to make pav bhaji without pav bhaji masala (the store-bought kind). If you have the ingredients at hand, you can put it together in three minutes flat! I have used my homemade masala in this recipe.

You will need the following whole spices -

• fennel
• cumin
• coriander
• cloves
• black cardamom
• black peppercorns

And these powdered spices as well - 

• Kashmiri chilli - a mild red variety of chilli powder.
• turmeric 
• mango powder - also known as amchur.
• black salt - a variety of rock salt. It is pink in color.

Put the whole spices in a dry grinder and whiz to get a fine powder. Mix in the powdered spices. Your masala is ready.

Instant pot pav bhaji

When made in the instant pot, pav bhaji is a simple one-pot affair. Here's a step-by-step breakdown.

Step 1: Switch the instant pot to saute mode and melt the butter. Add onions and fry until translucent (3 minutes).

Step 2: Tip in the ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, pav bhaji masala powder and salt. Saute until the tomatoes break down. Add a little water if masala becomes too dry (5 minutes).

Step 3: Add the vegetables (chopped) and one cup water. Cancel the saute mode and switch on the manual (pressure cooking) mode. Make sure the vent is sealed and set the timer to 10 minutes. After the timer goes, do a quick pressure release after 10 minutes (25 minutes including the time the cooker takes to build pressure).

Step 4: Open the cooker and turn on the saute mode again. If there is excess liquid, cook for 5 minutes more, mashing the vegetables with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. You'll find that this is very easy to do since the veggies are very soft and well-cooked (5 minutes).

Note: If making this recipe in a conventional stovetop pressure cooker, follow the exact same steps as outlined above. Pressure cook for two whistles on high heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off the hob and let the steam release naturally. 

Stovetop pav bhaji

Prep the vegetables (30 minutes)

Chop the vegetables and cook them in a saucepan with 3 cups of water. When the veggies are soft, mash them lightly with a fork.

Make the curry base (15 minutes).

Step 1: Fry the onions in butter until translucent (3 minutes).

Step 2: Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute (2 minutes).

Step 3: Add the tomatoes, pav bhaji masala powder and salt. Cook until soft (5 minutes).

Step 4: Add the mashed vegetables and cook (5 minutes).

How to assemble the bhaji (vegetable curry) + pav (dinner rolls)

1. Slice a dinner roll into two and spread a little butter on both halves. Place the rolls buttered side down on a hot fry pan and remove when slightly browned and crisp. Repeat for all the rolls.

2. Take out the bhaji in a deep dish. Sprinkle some lemon juice and mix well. Top with a knob of butter and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.

3. Arrange two dinner rolls on a plate and spoon out some bhaji. A very tasty, restaurant style pav bhaji is ready to eat. Yay!

Easy serving ideas

Pav bhaji sliders

Place some bhaji between two halves of a buttered and fried dinner roll, top it with onion rings and have it hamburger style. This is so convenient that I find myself having it this way more often than not.

For leftover bhaji

• Bhaji rolls - Spread some bhaji on a tortilla or naan and roll it up.
• Bhaji and rice - Mix the bhaji with rice and a little dal (lentils) for a complete meal.
• Bhaji sandwich - Place some bhaji on a slice of bread, cover with another slice and stick it in a sandwich maker or a panini press for a hot, toasted bhaji sandwich.

Get creative

My kids love cheese pav bhaji, and so would yours, I bet. Top the bhaji with some shredded cheddar cheese or a cheese slice while it is still hot. Ditto for the bhaji sandwiches.

Other vegetable curries you might like

• Baghare Baingan - A tangy eggplant curry with coconut, sesame, peanuts, and tamarind.
• Lauki Chana Dal - A tasty bottle gourd and lentils curry made in the instant pot.
• Aloo Curry - A simple vegan potato curry that taste terrific with poori. 
• Vegetable Korma - mixed vegetables in a sauce made creamy with cashews and coconut milk. 
• Punjabi Kadhi - Vegetable fritters in a tangy yogurt sauce.

📖 Recipe

Mumbai Pav Bhaji Recipe

Saima Zaidi

Mumbai pav bhaji is an extremely popular Indian street food. Made with mixed vegetables, onions, tomatoes and spices and served with buttered dinner rolls, it is out-of-this world delish and totally addictive!

5 from 14 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Snack

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4

Calories 280.1 kcal

Equipment

• 6-quart Instant Pot Duo OR a saucepan
• Medium frypan (if making stovetop pav bhaji)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Pav bhaji masala ingredients

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 black cardamom peeled
• 15 black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon mango powder or amchur
• 1 teaspoon black salt

Other ingredients

• 2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup peas
• 2 cup potatoes peeled and diced
• 2 cup carrot diced
• 1 big onion sliced fine
• 1 big tomato chopped
• 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• ⅓ cup butter
• ½ lemon
• 1 sprig fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• extra butter for topping
• salt to taste
• 8-10 dinner rolls

Instructions

 

Preparation

• Dice the vegetables (cauliflower, carrot and potato) into small pieces and keep aside.
• Make the pav bhaji masala - put the whole spices in a grinder and grind to a fine powder. Mix in the powdered spices. If using Everest pav bhaji masala, skip this step.

Instant Pot Method

• Switch the instant pot to saute mode and melt the butter. Add onions and fry until translucent (3 minutes).
• Tip in the ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes, pav bhaji masala powder and salt. Saute until the tomatoes break down. Add a little water if masala becomes too dry (5 minutes).
• Add the vegetables (chopped) and one cup water. Cancel the saute mode and switch on the manual (pressure cooking) mode. Make sure the vent is sealed and set the timer to 10 minutes. After the timer goes, do a quick pressure release after 10 minutes (25 minutes including the time the cooker takes to build pressure).
• Open the cooker and turn on the saute mode again. If there is excess liquid, cook for 5 minutes more, mashing the vegetables with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. You'll find that this is very easy to do since the veggies are very soft and well-cooked (5 minutes).

Stovetop Method

• Put the cauliflower, peas, potatoes and carrot  in a saucepan along with 3 cups of water. Cook until the veggies are very soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the saucepan from the hob and let it cool down a bit. Mash the vegetables lightly with a fork. Don't throw away the excess water, if any.
• Put the butter in a pan and heat it. When the butter melts, add the onion and fry until translucent.
• Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes on medium heat.
• Add the tomatoes, powdered dry spices made in step 2 and salt. Cook until the tomatoes soften. Add a few splashes of water to keep the masala from burning.
• Add the mashed vegetables prepared in step 1 and mix very well. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Squeeze the lemon over the bhaji and mix. Garnish with chopped cilantro
• Halve the dinner rolls and spread the remaining some butter on all the halves. Lightly fry them on a heated frypan until they are browned and crisp.
• Serve the pav bhaji on a platter with onions and lemon wedges.

Assembling the pav bhaji

• Slice a dinner roll into two and spread a little butter on both halves. Place the rolls buttered side down on a hot fry pan and remove when slightly browned and crisp. Repeat for all the rolls.
• Take out the bhaji in a deep dish. Sprinkle some lemon juice and mix well. Top with a knob of butter and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
• Arrange two dinner rolls on a plate and spoon out some bhaji. Serve hot.

Notes

1. Pre-made pav bhaji masala is available in Indian stores everywhere. Everest is the best pav bhaji masala brand available and this is the one I use. Two tablespoons of this masala are enough. Buy this if you want to skip making your own masala.
2. If you are making your own masala, all the ingredients are available in an Indian store including fennel, mango powder (amchur), black salt (kala namak) and Kashmiri chilli powder.
3. If you want an authentic taste, use butter and not oil. Butter does wonders for this dish which cooking oil just cannot match up to!

Nutrition

Calories: 280.1kcalCarbohydrates: 24.4gProtein: 4.1gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10.6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 812.5mgFiber: 5.9gSugar: 5.3g

Keyword Indian street food, pav bhaji, vegetable curry, vegetarian recipe

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